There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
Leashes for surfboards have been used for many years to prevent the momentary or permanent loss of one's surfboard should the user fall off of his/her surfboard. The leash interconnects the surfboard to the user's ankle. The intermediate portion of the leash forms a loop that often times drags behind the surfboard during use. This can cause an unwanted drag on the surfboard and can collect undesirable debris such as seaweed.
Thus, there have been many different types and kinds of retractable surfboard leashes proposed to help eliminate slack portion of the leash from dragging behind the surfboard. For example, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,938,725; 5,490,805; 5,902,164; and 5,938,492; Australian patent 704985; and International patent application publications WO 92/00873; WO 99/51489; and WO 2006/045166. Retractable surfboard leashes have been known and have been contemplated for use for many years.